DIGITAL DETOX ON VACATION

TOURISTS AREN’T READY TO UNPLUG THEIR ANDROID AND IOS SMARTPHONES

A few decades ago getting on a plane meant getting away from it all to explore the world with people you care about. How possible are these aspirations to uphold in the technology integrated world we live in now? Can you truly get away from it all or are you packing your information cravings, social media habits and work life with you?

STUDY GOALS

BankMyCell’s survey focused on comparing how traditional holiday values are interrupted by cell phone addiction triggers, social media habits, and work on vacation. In addition, we’ve split the majority of the data by operating system where applicable to see the differences between iOS and Android demographic users.

ARE YOU UNPLUGGED?

SMARTPHONE USAGE ON VACATION

NO ESCAPE: DESIRE TO GET AWAY VS TECHNOLOGY TRIGGERS

We began the study by asking a question we knew the majority of respondents would contradict. Travel is traditionally associated with three core values coded into our genetics; the desire to explore, be around people close to us and escape our programmed routine lives. The integration of addictive technology, specifically smartphones, makes it almost impossible to disconnect from the popular impulse driven triggers they make available.

Key Findings

85% of people want to go on vacation to ‘get away from it all’

57% of people go away to spend time with family, friends or a spouse

48% of people go on vacation to experience the world and have an adventure

STUBBORN TOURISTS OBLIGATED TO PACK THEIR SMARTPHONES

Conflicted sightseers around the world admit they are reluctant to go abroad without their smartphone, with over 92.5% of respondents claiming they are compelled even though 85% wanted to ‘get away from it all’. Apple users indexed the highest in this survey question, with 94% of iPhone owners voting their phone as a vital travel accessory, compared with 91% of Android users.

Key Findings

92.5% of people have to take their phone away with them traveling.

94% Apple users won’t step foot on a vacation without their cell phone.

TECHNOLOGY ADDICTED TOURISTS CONFESS TO OVERUSE ABROAD

Despite 85% of respondents wanting to get away and 57% wanting to spend quality time with someone they care about, still almost half of our vacationers pleaded guilty to spending too much time on their phones. Once again iPhone users marginally over-index at 49%, followed by 45% of Android owners.

Key Findings

47% of tourists regret staying plugged in with their smartphones

49% of Apple owners on vacation agree they’re spending too much time on their phones

PHONE PICK-UPS PER HOUR MUCH HIGHER THAN AVERAGE WHILE ABROAD

In our previous study, we found the average smartphone user checks their phone 2.93 times an hour. It seems vacations are not that much of a distraction, with this latest data suggesting it’s much harder to disconnect, with the average iPhone user checking their phone 5.73 times an hour, compared with 5.68 for Android users.

Key Findings

55.5% of tourists check their phone 1-5 times hourly on vacation

Almost 1 in 5 vacationers pickup their phone 6-10 times per hour

Smartphone users on vacation interact with it more than once every 10 minutes

The average iPhone owner checks their phone 5.73 times an hour on vacation

The average Android owner checks their phone 5.68 times an hour on vacation

HEY SIRI… HOW DO YOU SAY ‘CAN I HAVE THE WI-FI CODE’ IN SPANISH?

Tourists desire to maintain an uninterrupted or strong internet connection is astounding! With 41.5% of travelers checking for Wi-Fi passwords in hotels, bars, and restaurants, it seems this password request might be a phrase you should learn in the native language. A substantial 48% of iPhone users agreed with the statement, whereas the data suggests this is much less of a necessity for 65% of Android owners who are not chasing Wi-Fi.

Key Findings

41.5% of respondents admit to checking for Wi-Fi at locations they visit abroad.

48% of iPhone owners are anxiously searching of Wi-Fi codes while on vacation.

FLIGHT-MODE ‘STAYING OFF’ BY RULE BREAKING TOURISTS

Despite a large majority of airlines having a requirement for your phone to be switched off or in flight mode, 1 in 4 of travelers admits to ignoring the request. The cellular signal interference with the plane is insignificant, it’s more of a safety precaution so these objects aren’t flying around the cabin during sudden differences in trajectory and speed – but most people don’t know that!

Key Findings

1 in 4 respondents confess to breaking the rules on ‘no phone’ airlines

1 in 5 iPhone rule breakers reveal they used their smartphones on ‘no phone’ airlines

SMARTPHONE USE IS GRATING ON FLIGHT PASSENGERS

On flights where phone use is permitted, travelers revealed just how much they dislike the environment it creates. 89% of respondents agree that enduring another passenger’s phone conversations and interactions is an irritation. Android users voted highest at 91% compared to the 87% of Apple users.

Key Findings

9 in 10 people found people using phones on flights irritating

87% of Apple owners agreed they are irritated by other passengers in-flight phone use

91% of Android users found other passengers in-flight cell phone the grating

DOING IT FOR THE LIKES?

SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE ON VACATION

DIGITAL RETOX: TOURISTS SOCIAL MEDIA BINGING ON VACATION

From checking into places to uploading endless streams of photos, it’s clear to see from this data that social media is heavily integrated into a traveler’s vacation. An average of 71.5% of tourists agreed they frequently interact with social media on holiday, which is not far from the 85% of people that surveyed saying they wanted to ‘get away from it all’

Key Findings

71.5% of vacationers frequently use social media while away

66% of iPhone users admit to regularly using social media while traveling

PHONE ACTIVITY: WHAT PHONE FUNCTIONS GET THEM MOST ATTENTION?

Tourists are using their phones to take photos, browse social, text and play music more than doing some ‘on the ground’ research to maximize their trip experience. 93% of tourists taking smartphone photos significantly outweighed the other results, whereas iPhone users were found to be much more likely to do personal and work emails (42%) compared with Android users (31%).

Key Findings

93% of tourists use their smartphone to take a quick camera snap

36.5% of vacationers are still doing emails on while they’re away

Only 38% of tourists use their phones to research their vacation settings.

95% Android tourists voted smartphone photography as their most used function

45% of Android users set the vacation mood with music from their smartphone

91% of Apple tourists voted smartphone photography as their most used function

42% of Apple users won’t leave their personal and work emails alone on vacation

NARCISSISTIC TOURISTS WANTING AMMO FOR THEIR SOCIAL ACCOUNTS

Social media show-offs are taking their accounts into consideration when choosing travel destinations and trips. Almost half the respondents admitted they consider ‘what could look good on social media’ when planning their vacations, with Android users voting highest at 47% compared with Apple’s 42%.

Key Findings

44.5% of pretentious travelers let their social media bragging influence their choice of vacation.

47% of Android users let ‘what could look good on social media’ influence their choice of destination.

42% of iPhone users let ‘what could look good on social media’ influence their choice of destination.

WHAT’S IT LIKE VACATIONING WITH A SMARTPHONE ADDICT?

With 57% of people wanting to spend more quality time with someone away, it’s not a surprise that 54.5% of the people surveyed found the smartphone use of their friends, family or spouse a frustrating distraction from their plans.

Key Findings

54% of people on vacation irritated by their companions incessant phone interactions

SELFIE PSYCHOS! THE TRAVEL COMPANIONS’ MOST AGGRAVATING PHONE HABITS

With 48% of tourists wanting to enjoy their travel experience, some degree of frustration is coming from their travel partners smartphone use. 1 in 3 vacationers are fed up with their companion taking photos of food, attractions and a million selfies! 23.5% of travelers find social media a problem and 17% messaging, is it an implied insult on their present company not being good enough?

Key Findings

35.5% of tourists get irritated by their companions constant photo capturing

32% of Apple users annoyed by snappy happy travel partners

1 in 4 Apple users frustrated by their travel partners social media use

BUT DID YOU LEAVE?

WORKS CONNECTION ON VACATION

CAN YOU UNPLUG FROM WORK ON VACATION AS A SMARTPHONE OWNER?

Times were much simpler a few decades ago when you left work, gone on a plane and that was that – au revoir boss! Now with calls, texts, integrated email and productivity apps all connecting the office to your pocket it’s harder than ever to unplug. Out of all tourists we surveyed, 49.5% agree that having their smartphone on vacation makes it truly impossible to unplug from work. According to Todd Hixon from Forbes, iPhone users index higher in graduate degrees, household incomes and managerial jobs. Perhaps this is why 56% of them agreed they struggle with this disconnect, compared with 43% of Android users.

Key Findings

49.5% agree that having a cell phone on vacation makes it impossible to unplug

56% of Apple users agree they can’t get away from it all on holiday with a phone

43% of Android users on holiday can’t unplug from work whilst traveling with a phone

CAN YOU IGNORE THAT WORK EMAIL ON VACATION?

Some employers will expect you to respond when hailed on vacation, how many tourists feel compelled to reply to work emails while they’re off work? 41.5% of vacationers felt obligated to respond, with 45% of iPhone and 38% of Android users unable to embrace ‘getting away from it all’ fully with their email inbox filling up.

Key Findings

41.5% of vacationers agree they feel obligated to reply to work while away

45% of iPhone travelers feel they are ‘on call’ from work while on vacation

38% of Android users feeling their ‘out of office’ isn’t helping them on their break

TOURISTS YEARNING TO DISAPPEAR OFF THE WORK RADAR

Out of all the vacationers surveyed, over 81.5% longed to become unreachable while they were on holiday and potentially get back to a mountain of emails. The craving was higher among Apple users, with 84% wanting to disappear from their job completely, compared with 79% Android.

Key Findings

81.5% agree they would like to leave work for their break and vanish off the grid

84% of Apple users desire a total disconnect from work life while on vacation

79% of Android users want to be unreachable when they leave the office for vacation